Lyman derby



L. DERBY. commune): LOOK.

No. 28,162, Patented May a, 1860.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LYMAN DERBY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,162, dated May 8, 1860.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LYMAN DERBY, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCombination-Locks for Safes, Doors, and other Places and Purposes; and Ido hereby declare the following to be, a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in making and operating acombination lock, by means of a screw and nut working in an inclosedcase or barrel in which are arranged a series of longitudinal bars, onfour of which are arranged independent sliding tumblers, having notchedupper and lower opposite corners, and transversely of their inner facesa channel or groove, to correspond with a channel or groove in the faceof an adjustable or combination tumbler also arranged on one of thelongitudinal bars, so that a pin on the nut or key may traversethroughout the channel to enter a guide way to operate by the reversalof the screw on a self adjusting detent pin or stem, having a shoulderon it resting on the end of a cletent spring for holding the barrel orlook from rotating to project the bolt out or back. But to describe myinvention more particularly I will refer to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification the same letters of referencewherever they occur referring to like parts.

Figure 1, is a view of the lock as it ap pears on the inside of thedoor. Fig. 2 is the front of the door, showing the knob, and at the sideof it a dial plate but not seen under the knob and therefore exhibitedin red outline at the side of it. Fig. 3, is a View of the door as seenwhen the lock is attached thereto. Fig. t, is a longitudinal cutsectionof the door and knob, through the line 00-00, F ig.3. Fig. 5,is atransverse cutsection of the barrel of the lock and tumblers through theline a 00 Fig. 3. Fig. 6, is a plan-view of the look through the line 0011 Fig. 4, for exhibit-ing the detent spring and stem for operating it.Fig. 7, is a detached plan view of the underside of the detent springfor exhibiting the recess into which it locks to hold the barrel fromrevolving to project the bolt, till released by the depression of thestem resting upon it. Fig. 8, is a vertical cutsection of a portiondriving the axis through the door.

of the barrel, exposing a side view of the detent spring and stem fordepressing it. Fig. 9, are detached face, and end views of the tumblers.Fig. 10, is a view of the combination tumbler.

Letter A, is the barrel of the lock, which may be made of brass or othermetal and of any size desired. To the front or inner end of it, isattached by means of a flan e b and screws a a hollow axle B, ofsufficient length to extend through the door C, on which is secured ametallic box D, for it to work in.

Letter E, is a shoulder or flange formed on the outer end of the hollowaxle B, which by means screws through the flange of, attached to thebarrel A, (and extending beyond the edges of the box D,) unites orcombines the hollow axle and barrel of the lock together, to hold themfirmly in contact with the door, though permitting a slight rotatorymotion in the box D, to project the bolt out and back again.

Letter G are a series of letters like a dial, formed on the externalface of the hollow axle B, for the purpose of registering the working ofthe tumblers to open the lock.

Letter F, is a cylindrical axis, though may be made slightly tapering ifdeemed most advisable for preventing the possibility (pf n the outer endof it is a shoulder (5 which fits into a recess in the inner edge of thehollow axle to prevent it from being forced through it by externalviolence. 011 the inner end of it is screwed a cap plate Gby screws 6 toprevent the withdrawal of the axis from the hollow axle or box B, thoughallowing it to have a rotatory mot-ion.

Attached to the outer end of the axis F, is a stem H, on which is asquare head F. In the end of the stem is cut a female screw, with whichfits a thumb screw I, having a rim n flange 9 under its head for thepurpose of connecting it with the knob J, when fitted on the stem, sothat as the screw is turned it will connect or disconnect the knob withor from the dial or hollow axle to rotate it. This knob is made in twoparts. In each half are cut square recesses, so that when fittedtogether on the stem they form a box in which fits the square head f Thedepth of this recess is perhaps about the eighth of an inch greater thanthe thickness of the head F. The object of this is to allow the knob todraw back on the stem, to release it from the dial or hollow axle; butwhen it is desired to connect the knob, and lock together, the thumbscrew is turned down so as to cause the teeth 71?, to engage withrecesses in the dial, when the whole can be rotated together for thepurpose of projecting the bolt.

In operating the tumblers, the knob is disengaged from the dial orhollow axleby which operation the knob is only in connection with theaxis F, and screw K, attached to its inner end. This screw extends downinto the barrel A, of the lock, for the purpose of operating thetumblers by means of a screw nut D, working thereon. This nut isprevented from working off the screw, by means of a cap plate M, securedby screws 7' on the back end of the barrel A. On the side of the nut isa pin or shoulder N, the object of which is to o erate a series oftumblers O, and a detent or preventing the bolt of the lock or door frombeing projected out or back. These tumblers are oblong blocks (thoughthis precise form is not absolutely necessary) of unequal lengths. Intheir backs are grooves 2' to fit on slides 70 attached to the inside ofthe barrel. On their faces, the upper and lower opposite corners are cutout Z and Z and transversely of their faces is cut a channel or groove mto match a corresponding channel or groove cut in the face of a fixed orcombination tumbler O". This combination tumbler is adjusted by means ofa set screw N working through a slot N in the side of the barrel, so asto ad- -mit of the changing of the combination.

The tumblers O, are independent of any fixed adjustment, other than whatis given to them by the action of the nut, and screw, working out thecombination, that is adjustingall the tumblers so as to make the channels M match throughout to permit the pin on the nut to pass through it.When the pin passes through the channel it comes in contact with a falseguide [0 attached to the inside of the barrel, but not extending to theends of it, so that the pin on the nut will always pass under or overits ends, and

can only come in contact with it through the channel M to guide the pinon the nut, up against the end of a latch bar R, working in a recess 0in the side of the hollow axle. On the face of the latch bar, is ashoulder 1, which resting on the end of a detent spring 8, (secured atits back and to the door of the safe) depresses it, as the nut is drawnup to relieve it from a recess S cut in the inner face of the flange 0.to allow the barrel or lock to rotate to project the bolt T, out orback, in consequence of the teeth t on the edge of the flange (1engaging into corresponding teeth on the edge of the bolt.

. In the act of depressing the latch bar to release the detent spring,the pin on the nut passes off the end of the bar, and over the end ofthe false guide to another uide k, extending throughout the length ofthe barrel. The object of this is to prevent the nut from beingcarried-around, but to compel the operator to come back to A, or zero onthe dial, as will be indicated by the pointer j, on the base of the knobJ, at every start to work the combination of the tumblers.

The operation of my invention is as follows: lVhen the tumblers are allup to the head of the barrel, I lock the knob, and barrel together bythe thumb screw, and project the bolt outward as when looking the door.I next set the combination tumbler O at zero, or point nearest the upperend of the barrel, (as an illustration of the operation of the lock, itbeing understood of course that any other point may be selected to makeother combinations.) This leading to the latch bar, and operating of thedetent spring, to allow the bolt being shot back. I next liberate theknob, from itsconnection with the barrel of the lock, by means ofthethumb screw. The knob and screw is then turned till the pin on the nutis stopped against the guide 70 when the pointer 7' on the knob, willindicate A? on the dial. The screw will now have to be turned from rightto left once around and plus to G, to lift or adjust the first tumbler,which for convenience of making the combinations originally, the barrelis made in skeleton, and match marks cut in the back of the tumblers forinspection. The screw is then reversed to the starting point A, when asthe first tumbler has been raised or matched with the combinationtumbler, the pin on the nut will pass over the end of it to engage inthe notch Z in the corner of the second tumbler to operate it. This willrequire the screw being turned from right to left once around and plusto O, to lift or adjust the second tumbler. The screw is then reversedto the starting point as before, when as the second tumbler having beenmatched, the pin on the nut will pass over it, to operate in the likemanner on the third tumbler. This will require the screw being turnedtwice around and plus to X, .to elevate the third tumbler.

As before the. screw is reversed to the starting point, and; as thethird tumbler has been matched, the

pin on the nut will pass over its end to operate in like manner on thefourth tumbler. This will require the screw being turned twice aroundand plus to U, to elevate it, when as before the screw is reversed tocarry the nut. back to the starting point, and as the fourth tumbler hasbeen matched, the pin on the nut will pass over its end to the oppositeside of guide is extending the entire length of the barrel, when it willrequire four turns and plus to M of the screw from the starting point A,to elevate the pin on the nut on a line with the channel m The screw isnow reversed from M, three times, and plus to G, when the nut meetingwith no obstruction, is carried with it through the channel, till thepin on it comes in contact with the false guide 10 This obstructioncauses the nut to traverse up the screw, and the pin on the nut comingin con tact with the head of the latch bar R depresses it, and with itthe detent spring S, till it is forced from the recess in the flange aso as to allow the barrel to rotate. When in this position and beforethe latch bar has been released, the knob, is locked to the barrel bymeans of the thumb screw I, in which position the whole may be rotatedin the box D, some ten degrees, or sufiicient space to cause the teethin the edge of the flange a engaging in corresponding teeth in a bolt toproject it back far enough to unlock the door. When not designed. forapplying the combination, the door may now be bolted or unbolted like acommon lock bolt. hen intending to lock the door by the combination thedoor is first shut, and the bolt shot forward. The knob is now releasedfrom the barrel by means of the thumb screw which permits theindependent action of the screw again, and by turning it a few degreesthe pin on the nut will slip off the end of the false guide to the guidea, or starting point, A, on the dial as indicated by the pointer j whenthe detent spring being relieved instantly flies back into the recess inthe underside of the flange a, to lock the bolt. By this action thelatch bar is raised, and as the middle part of it is cut away, the pinon the nut may be carried past it, but cannot touch it or again getaccess to the latch bar to release the detent spring unless by thepassing the pin on the nut over the ends of the four tumblers till itcomes in contact with the guide 712*, when it will be carried up to aline with the channel at", requiring four turns of the screw from thestarting point A and plus to M. The screw is then reversed from M, threetimes, and plus to G, to carry the pin through the channel to the falseguide, up which it follows to the head of the latch bar to release thedetent spring for operating the bolt as before described. Thisoperation'is resorted to for dispatch in open-: mg the lock duringbusiness hours without: disarrangement of the tumblers. But whendesigned to give the greatest security to the lock, one or more of thetumblers are unmatched with the combination tumbler 0 This is done asfollows. The screw is turned from right to left till the pin'on the nutcomes in contact with the guide is", down which it is carried tothe endof the screw, but off of which it can not get on account of the capplate. When the nut is down the screw is reversed. This causes the pinon the nut to engage in the notch Z', of the lower end of the fourthtumbler, and by continuing to turn the screw draws it up to the head ofthe barrel when the screw can get no farther. The screw is then turnedforward and the nut carried back to the guide is again, down which itruns in consequence of the turning of the screw till it comes off. Thescrew is then reversed to cause the nut to act upon the third tiunblerto elevate it. The screw is then turned forward to carry the nut to theguide is, again down which it runs to repeat the operation of elevatingthe second tumbler, and the like operation is repeated to elevate thefirst tumbler. The screw is now turned forward till the nut comes incontact with the guide is, a ain, down which it is carried to the end 0the screw. And as all the tumblers have been elevated, the pin on thenut on the reversal of the screw passes under them till it comes incontact with the opposite lower end of the guide 76*, up which it iscarried to the starting point A, as indicated on the dial by the pointerto commence the operation as before described for adjusting the tumblerswith the combination.

Having now described my invention and its operation I will proceed toset forth what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States.

1. I claim the use of the screw K, and nut L, having a pin or shoulderN, on the side of it, in combination substantially as described, and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. I also claim the use of the axis F, having a shoulder (Z on its outerend, and an adjustable capplate G, on its inner end, in combinationsubstantially, and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. I also claim the use of the stem H, thumb screw I, and knob J, orequivalents, in combination, substantially as described and for thepurposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. I also claim the use of the hollow axis B, in combination with theaxis F, and knob J, substantially as described, and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

5. I also claim the use of the tumbler barrel or case A, in combinationwith the hollow axis B, and screw K, substantially as described and forthe purposes hereinbefore set forth.

6. I also claim the use of the tumblers O, and 0 made substantially asdescribed, in combination with the screw K, and nut L for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

7. I also claim the use of the reversal guides on the interior of thebarrel A, in combination with the tumblers and nut L,

substantially as described, and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.7 8. I also claim the use of the latch pinR,

1 and detent spring S, or equivalents, in combination with the barrel orcase A, and nut L, substantially as described and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

LYMON DERBY.

Witnesses:

DANL. W. TALCOTT, C. L. KARRITT.

